


when morning comes, i'll meet you

by managician



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, One Shot, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, like. lots of it. the whole fic is snuggles, some mentions of other ships and headcanons here and there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22699672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/managician/pseuds/managician
Summary: Nightmares and the insomnia they bring about are hard to deal with, especially for someone like Sora.But maybe Roxas's company can help.
Relationships: Roxas/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 61





	when morning comes, i'll meet you

Mornings with Sora are surprisingly slow, all things considered.

Roxas has always seen him hyperactive, ready to kick into action as soon as someone gave him word for it, so to have the clock needles hit noon and see him still curled up in bed is quite the humoristic sight. It makes him feel more like a regular teenager who wants to enjoy summer vacation to its fullest — they’re picking up school again when their months of break end, after all. 

He almost feels bad as he walks upstairs to Sora's bedroom, wanting to let him stay in a little more; still, they need to get their day going if they want to be presentable for the group meal they’re having, courtesy of Kairi.

The room looks disastrous when he walks in, as if someone had accidentally cast an Aero spell to knock everything off the desk and shelves. Roxas snorts; typical Sora.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Roxas calls out to him with fondness, gently shaking him by the shoulder. "It's already midday."

The blurb of messy spikes stirs only slightly, making no real movement to indicate that he's getting out from under the covers anytime soon. His head turns around to stare at the new presence in his room, blue eyes still clouded with a heavy haze.

"Hnn. Roxas," Sora drags out the word, as if it's a terrible effort to articulate the sounds.

“Yep, the one and only," a nod and a small grin. "Lazy morning?" he asks, plopping down on the free space of Sora's bed, mindful enough to push his legs aside in order to avoid squashing them.

"I feel so tired that I can’t even get up,” Sora sighs. “My eyes feel heavy… I really didn’t catch any sleep at all.”

"...Rough night?" Roxas's gaze softens.

"Yeah," Sora admits, fiddling with his blanket. He looks almost relieved that the other brought it up. "You know, the usual," he glances aside.

In fact, Roxas shouldn't know, because Sora has never told him, but he's not about to tell him that. Whenever Sora's not doing well, he just _feels_ it, before he sees him or understands the reason.

It’s not hard to recognize the exhausted shadows covering Sora’s face, considering that Roxas has seen them in other people before; he’s spent more nights with Xion burning the candle at both ends than he cares to count, all because sleep wouldn’t come to them or they were afraid of what they’d find in their dreams. It was one of the many things they had to accept about their existences — all hearts hold fear deep inside.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he says instead, leaning a bit closer towards Sora, though still leaving enough of a gap between them as to not bother him. “I don’t know if it’ll be of any use, Lea just says that talking out stuff with someone you trust often helps.”

“Thanks, but it’ll be alright,” Sora shrugs. “This happens a lot of days. I wake up for no good reason and then it’s basically impossible to get back to rest. Funnily enough, I used to be a very heavy sleeper…”

“I guess you’ve grown more used to light sleep, to prevent enemy attacks from catching you guys off guard,” Roxas mutters, a hint of concern showing on his furrowed eyebrows.

“Probably. Either way, just give me a few minutes," Sora forces a smile. "I’ll be up before you can blink!”

“How, by taking two cups of coffee?” Roxas rolls his eyes, unable to not crack a grin at the adorable pout forming on Sora’s face. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed your growing addiction, Sora. Who’d guess that our greatest hero would need to rely on _caffeine_ to keep himself going nowadays…?”

“I only use that as a last resort,” Sora poorly defends his case.

“I have a gut feeling that you end up using your last resort way too often.”

“Geez, you’re a meanie,” he protests. “Can’t you cut me some slack? I’m beat from yesterday’s practice sparring…”

“And now we’re falling back on excuses, hmm? The best Keyblade Wielder is ‘beat’ because Riku kicked his ass with a wooden sword,” Roxas keeps at it, finally breaking into a laugh when Sora pouts even harder. “Fine, fine, I’ll let you go for now.”

“You’re lucky I like you so much,” Sora says, with such an easy-going and carefree beam that Roxas feels something funny on his stomach. “I’d get mad at you otherwise. And probably pick a fight on you.”

“Pick your battles wisely, Sora,” the boy instructs, voice more serious than he’d meant to. “And focus on winning to Riku before you think of fighting me, for your own good.”

Roxas gives him a condescending pat on the head, enjoying Sora’s indignant reactions far more than he should. He’s grown a sort of playful attitude with all his friends, having found out that he’s pretty good at riling people up with bantering, but there’s something that makes teasing Sora just slightly better than everything else. Maybe it’s the boy’s overly expressive nature, or the natural knack that Roxas has for reading him, knowing exactly what he needs to say if he wants to trigger a particular reaction from his Other. 

In turn, however, Roxas is equally vulnerable towards Sora, and unfortunately for him, Sora also knows how to push his buttons and get things going his way.

He finally makes an attempt to prop himself upwards, and for a moment Roxas thinks that their brief conversation has managed to kick some energy back into him; not even a second later, that theory soon proves to be wrong when all Sora does is loosely wrap his arms around Roxas’s waist, head pressing and twirling against his shoulder.

“I can’t fight any battle if I’m not well-rested… Can you tell everyone that I’m going to sleep in?”

Roxas gulps. He can’t let himself be swayed, no matter how difficult Sora makes it to say ‘no’. And mind you, it’s damn difficult already.

“I promised Kairi I’d wake you up,” Roxas denies his request. "She's getting the gang to meet up for lunch and board games, and I don't want her mad at me."

"We can stay here for a little while and we'll still have time to get ready," Sora complains, and Roxas begrudgingly admits that he's not wrong; they'll only need to hurry it up later, nothing that isn't manageable. "Please, Rox? Pretty please?

That's a low move. A pleading word and a cute nickname in the same sentence. He'd feel like the world's worst scum if he shut Sora down here.

Not quite daring to look at the boy, lest he pulls the beggar puppy eyes on him and decimates whatever was left of his initial will, Roxas sends Kairi a silent apology and slumps his shoulders forward.

"Alright," he half-heartedly gives in. "You'd keep begging until I said yes anyway."

"You know me so well," Sora singsongs with that charming laugh of his, and hugs Roxas tighter. "You're the best, Roxas!"

"Yes, yes. Now get off me and sleep. I've got things to do."

"Oh." Sora frowns, quieting down, and Roxas wonders if he's said the wrong thing. "You're not staying?"

"Do you want me to?" Roxas inquires honestly, surprising even himself with how careful and gentle he sounds. 

"Nah, it's okay. Go do your things. We can talk more later."

Despite Sora's lighthearted tone, Roxas doesn't miss the slight disappointment lacing the words. Did he want to keep chatting that badly? ...Might as well indulge him.

"It won't take me long," he mumbles, detangling himself from Sora's warmth. "I'm just gonna make us something for breakfast. You won't survive until lunch on an empty stomach, right?"

He watches with satisfaction as Sora's face lights up again, goofy grin returning to his lips with newfound energy. Nevermind the fact that Roxas himself has already eaten — he can afford to digest some more toast if it means Sora will be happy.

Ah. Now that's an embarrassing train of thought. 

He abruptly gets up from the bed and makes haste for the kitchen, off-handedly catching Sora's 'thank you' as he steps out of the room.

Hm… Perhaps he should make that cup of coffee to accompany the toast, after all. On the off chance that Sora actually uses this little time to rest, he'll probably remain too exhausted for any proper social interaction. Definitely too exhausted for a lunch meet-up and the posterior Monopoly match.

Worryingly enough, Sora had said that this was 'the usual' too, now that he thinks about it… Had he been going through some sort of struggle? How come all of them missed that?

Roxas purses his lips. He hopes he's looking too much into this.

* * *

Unfortunately, he's right, much to his dismay. 

That's not the last time Roxas finds Sora having sleep problems.

It happens again, one night he comes back late to Sora's house. 

He'd taken a quick trip to Twilight Town to spend the day with what he dubs the Clocktower Club — namely formed by Hayner, Pence, Olette, Xion, Lea, Isa on nice rare occasions, and last but not least, himself.

Roxas hadn't meant to stay with them until midnight, really. His original plan for today was to come back to the islands early enough to catch Sora awake, and maybe have a small snack with him, but Olette's not so subtle insinuations of Roxas having a crush on said brunet got the best of him.

Arguing with his friends while eating ice cream just made time fly by, it seemed. The good part was that he also got to tease Olette about her hopeless infatuation with Kairi, so the day had been good, overall. 

And so, when he finally travels back to Destiny Islands much later than intended and fumbles with the keys to open the door to Sora's house, struggling to make the bare minimum sound, the first thing that catches his attention is the faint light coming from what he thinks is the living room.

What he finds is Sora huddled on the couch, still wearing his street clothes, using the backrest as a pillow. The television is on, but he's paying little attention to whatever program is being broadcast at this hour, fixated on the Gummiphone held dangerously close to his eyes instead.

"Sora," Roxas blinks, undecided on whether to sound mad or concerned. He hopes his voice comes out with both intentions. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you're back," Sora smiles at him for a brief second and then goes back to his device. "I'm playing a game that Xi recommended me. It's kinda more fun than I expected while I was downloading it—"

"No, I mean, why are you awake?" he cuts the other's babble, mildly exasperated. "It's really late. You didn't stay up waiting for me, did you?"

To the relief of Roxas's guilty conscience, Sora shakes his head, focused on tapping the screen.

"Then?" Roxas insists.

"Bad night. Couldn't sleep," Sora replies vaguely, and that's about as much as he seems willing to share with him. "I figured I'd do something worthwhile with my time, rather than look up at the ceiling while feeling like crap."

Now the worry overshadows all traces of anger that Roxas could have felt. Did Sora have insomnia? Or some sort of nightmare...?

"...Sora, are you okay?" he blurts out before he has time to think the words over. "Have you been sleeping well lately?"

It's a pointless question, for Roxas thinks he may already know the answer; opaque blue slowly meets Roxas's gaze, lacking any of the shine that Sora would pride himself in.

"I'm fine," he says. "Can't say I've been sleeping that much lately, though. It's hard, for some reason…"

"Is that so?" Roxas squints, instincts telling him that there's more to this than what Sora is saying. 

He doesn't want to believe it — his chest tugs painfully at the prospect of Sora hiding something from him, especially if it's something that has been causing him trouble. With how much effort Sora has put into making sure that Roxas believes in his own worth, Roxas only wants to do the same for him. 

It hurts, to see Sora hurting and not acknowledging it, not even to himself.

He doesn't realise that the irritation must be showing on his features, at least until Sora speaks up again, far too quiet to his liking.

"Sorry, are you angry? I know you hate it when I don't rest. I'll go to…"

"No, no Sora, I'm not mad at you," Roxas quickly reassures him. "This isn't your fault. Don't think that."

"Okay," Sora bites his lip. "...Um, anyway, you've probably had dinner already, so… Good night?"

"I'm not going to bed yet. I'm not really tired," he easily lies, approaching Sora's cozy spot on the couch. "I can stay with you for a bit, I guess… If that's cool."

"Of course," Sora nods gleefully.

Roxas still hesitates as he stares at the empty space next to the boy — Sora looks like he's having fun with that game, maybe he'll just be a nuisance — but Sora gives him one of his tiny, _genuine_ smiles, and Roxas finds himself returning it as he scoots close to him.

Sora latches onto his side, choosing to rest his weight on Roxas's shoulder. Roxas lifts his free arm and runs a hand through Sora's hair; he relaxes even further against him, letting out a pleased sigh as tender fingers run through silky locks, their previous exchange already forgotten.

"Hey, Roxas," Sora pipes up, vacantly staring at the television. "Is… Was anyone in the Organization good at games?"

"I hope you're not looking to polish up your Monopoly skills with them," Roxas snickers while he ponders the answer to the seemingly arbitrary question. "Hmm, let's see… Luxord and Xigbar liked to play cards together, I think. Their poker matches went on for really long — a whole day or two, sometimes. Larxene and Demyx made bets trying to guess how much time it'd take them to finish the game."

"Whoa. That's so cool. Did you ever play with them?"

"Not really, no. I was busy with other stuff," he admits. "It would've been nice, though."

"Hmm," is all that Sora says. 

They fall into what Roxas would consider a comfortable silence, except Sora keeps bouncing his leg a little, as if he's waiting for… Something, and he's unable to stay still when he's not talking.

...Oh. That might be all there's to it.

"Is there anything else you want to ask me?"

"I'm trying to think of something, but I'm pulling a blank," Sora laughs. "I just like hearing your voice… It's really nice and calming, and easy to focus on..."

Roxas sighs, pulling the boy's head closer to him, ignoring the faint pink dusting his cheeks. He might be starting to put two and two together, now — Sora wants him to talk because he needs a distraction until he gets drowsy enough to fall asleep on his own. 

You end up having too many thoughts filling up your head if you're alone, he thinks bitterly. He won't let Sora go through that.

...He says that, but finding a good topic to talk about for a long enough time is suddenly the hardest task he's ever been given. Ugh.

"Do you have any plans for this week?" he decides to give it a try.

"Nope," Sora shakes his head, and then winks, much to Roxas's bashfulness. "I'm all yours, Rox, if you've got a cool idea."

Roxas huffs and stares at his lap, pretending to find his brown coat to be really interesting. He's grateful that the dim, iridescent light on the room has consistently managed to hide his growing blush, because Sora says really embarrassing things without meaning to, far more often than Roxas is comfortable with.

Though that's part of what makes him Sora. Endearing, cute, lovable Sora— 

Roxas groans. Olette was right, alright, he's got it _bad._

"You're the one who has lived in Destiny Islands all his life. I'm only here for summer vacation, so you come up with something," Roxas shrugs. 

"How about we hit Twilight Town, then?" Sora suggests with dreamy eyes. "You've gotta be tired of the beach already. Show me your hometown!"

"Sora, I just visited today, and you've also been to Twilight Town a bunch of times," Roxas feels his lips curl upwards. "You know it like the palm of your hand by now."

"So... what?" Sora crosses his arms, barely stifling back a yawn. "We're running out of options..."

Roxas keeps petting his hair, watching Sora grow sleepy under his touch as they continue the conversation. 

"You're joking, right? There are so many worlds we can visit. Summer's nice, but I could use some cold weather for a change… Or, heck, even a different beach. It's been a while since you've been to either Arendelle or Port Royal."

"That's true," he blinks. "You've never had a ride on the Leviathan, have you… I should take you out someday."

“I’d love to see your captain skills, Sora,” Roxas smiles subtly. 

“Okay, we’re doing it then,” Sora closes his eyes with contentedness sweeping through him. “It’s a date.”

“Yeah, s—” Roxas freezes. “Wait, a _date?_ Sora?”

Sora doesn’t give him any answer, peacefully resting against him, light grin playing on his lips, and the weight pressed to Roxas’s shoulder gets a tad heavier.

“Just my luck,” he mutters.

Whatever. He’ll ask him about it tomorrow. At least he’s resting now. 

Olette always talks about dates with boys in a romantic sense, but for all Roxas knows about the rules of society, there could be friend dates too. Right?

He finds himself thinking that it doesn’t matter much; either way, things simply feel right when they're together. As long as they’re both happy with it, the details don’t hold much importance in the long run of things. That’s how they’ve always worked.

And yet, as he tunes out the muffed sound of the program playing on the background and syncs his breathing to Sora’s, Roxas can’t help but wonder.

* * *

The tough luck accompanies them a few days later, when Sora decides that he’s finally had enough of lazing around and brings up their unsorted trip to Port Royal.

Naturally, Roxas agrees to go, and they get a bag with some lunch and a clothing change ready, just in case they decide to give the water a test while they drive around.

Well. They _did_ taste it, Roxas thinks with sarcasm, as they settle down in the nearest cave they could find, hoodies and pants completely soaked.

“Today sucks,” Sora states grimly.

“It’s not that bad,” Roxas poorly tries to cheer him up. “Look at the bright side, we managed to get to this island before the rain hit the Leviathan head-on.”

“And that’s why this sucks,” Sora hangs his head low, muttering something that Roxas doesn’t quite catch, but that definitely sounds along the lines of ‘stupid tropical weather’.

Granted, being forced to hide within a cave, huddling together to keep themselves warm while they waited for the sudden thunderstorm to pass was not what they’d planned at all when they set towards the Caribbean coast that morning.

Sora had even gone as far as to plan an entire route throughout all the islands they could land their ship on to visit, looking more enthusiastic than Roxas had seen him for the past couple of weeks, so the poor boy was understandably upset to see their plans ruined because of an unpredictable precipitation.

“We can come back another day,” Roxas insists, not liking the pointed frown on his companion’s face. “With some luck, it may even clear up soon enough, and we’ll have time to roll with your idea.”

Just as he says that, the wind starts roaring harder, a cold breeze breaking through the cave tunnel they’ve opted to hide in, and two lightning rays strike in the distance with such strength that Sora yelps and subconsciously grabs onto Roxas’s arm, startled by the deafening sound.

He seems to be holding him a lot recently, now that Roxas muses over it. Sora's always kind of touchy-feely with everyone, though; it’s not anything strange.

“You were saying?” Sora mumbles grumpily into his shirt.

“Well, maybe not,” Roxas scratches his cheek apologetically. “Still, I don’t really mind, Sora. I’m having fun.”

“Of course you are,” the other sighs dramatically. “You enjoy seeing me squirm and suffer, don’t you,” he puts on a poker face, probably attempting to mimic Roxas’s mannerisms. “‘Haha, look at Sora, he’s going through the five stages of grief because the concept of rain exists.’”

It takes all of Roxas’s willpower to hold back a loud chuckle at his obnoxious imitation. “I don’t talk like that,” he playfully shoves Sora to the side with his elbow. “I can’t believe you’re calling me a _schadenfreude._ ”

“A s…” Sora’s mouth struggles to replicate the syllables. “A _what?_ ”

“A person who finds joy from learning of or witnessing the troubles of another,” Roxas explains, grinning, proud of being the one to teach Sora something and not the other way around for once. “It’s a German word. Isa’s obsessed with learning it now, so I’ve picked up some words,” he clarifies when he notices the puzzled expression on the boy’s face.

“I didn’t know Isa liked learning languages,” Sora taps his chin. 

“He doesn’t. I think he just has fun insulting Lea.”

Both of them finally let out a chuckle at that. Roxas’s glad that his stupid comments manage to make Sora be a bit less upset. He really looks best when he’s smiling.

Like now, as he leans really close to his face and asks, “What other words did you learn?”

“You never get tired of asking me about my life, do you?” he teases good-heartedly.

Sora glances down.

“...Well, for a very long time, you didn’t have anyone who’d listen if you talked,” he whispers, hands folded on his lap.

Roxas’s chest tightens. “Sora—”

“So I’m trying to make up for all that lost time, you know?... Sometimes I do wonder if I end up bothering you, though,” he adds sheepishly, words echoing within Roxas much louder than the rainfall above their heads. 

Following some sort of impulse that he doesn’t want to dwell on right now, Roxas takes hold of Sora’s hands. They’re warm and soft against his, and he almost forgets what he wanted to convey until Sora turns to look at him, dark cobalt gaze dancing with guilt and regret. How long has he been feeling like this?

“I’ve told you before. You’re never bothering me, Sora...” Roxas says firmly, thumb hesitatingly caressing his fingertips. 

There was a time where the sole mention of the boy’s name might have made him narrow his eyebrows in anger. Sora, Sora, _Sora_ — everything has always been about Sora. He hated it. 

But now? Now, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“...I have fun because we’re together,” he finishes, and it’s an admission that carries more weight than he lets on. It’s an unspoken, _wherever you take me, I’ll go with you._ “I’m just — happy we can be together at all.”

Sora stays silent for a whole minute, which leaves Roxas teetering on the edge of his seat, hoping that he’s been clear enough about his feelings; and then, he smiles brightly at their linked hands.

“You really like doing that.”

“...Huh?” Roxas blinks. “Doing what?”

“Holding my hands and telling me that everything I’ve been worrying about is dumb. It’s not the first time you do it,” Sora tells him, sincere and appreciative. 

The familiar tingle on his skin that always seems to come up when he’s alone with Sora makes his face get warm. He doesn’t have any help from the lighting to hide it this round; there’s no way Sora doesn't see it, not when he’s staring at him like that, eyes round and bright and holding every feeling that neither of them says out loud. 

“If there’s anything I can help you with, you know I’ll do it,” Roxas says softly. “You’ve done the same for me.”

Sora lifts one of his hands to fiddle with his necklace, a gesture that Roxas has come to know as ‘nervousness’. He has a troubled expression; however, before Roxas can start to think that they won’t get anywhere with this, he gives a tentative nod.

“There… might be something,” he admits, not happy about it.

“Tell me,” Roxas gently encourages him. “I’m sure just talking it out will help a bit.”

Recalling the similar words that Roxas had told him during one of his lazy mornings, Sora gives him a shaky smile. 

“I’ve been having… Weird thoughts,” he starts, unsure. “I keep having the same nightmares, and hearing voices, and… A lot of things. I can’t tell if they’re real or not. It’s not terrible, I mean…”

Although Roxas’s grip on him tightens, his gaze remains kind. “Is that why you haven’t been sleeping well lately?”

“Pretty much,” Sora laughs dimly. “And see, the thing is— When I’m with you, the dreams slowly… go away. It’s like there’s nothing to be afraid of anymore. Weird, right?”

Roxas tries to not let the sadness show in his countenance as he stares at Sora. 

It’s obvious that he’s had enough of bad, endless dreams, and that he’s scared of falling into one again. The darkness never stops trying to make its way into people’s hearts, and Sora isn’t an exception, no matter how powerful he is; brave, reckless Sora who has been close to losing himself in delusions, is an all too easy target. 

“I think you might just be scared of sleeping alone, Sora,” he ponders out loud.

“Ohh, maybe,” Sora concedes in a subtle ‘you nailed it even if it’s not something I want to admit’ tone. “It’s true that I don’t have any problem falling asleep when you’re with me…”

“Well, there we’ve got the solution, then,” Roxas huffs, mentally preparing himself for the potentially risky bomb he’s about to drop. “I can rest with you while we figure stuff out and you can — tell me more about it, if you want to.”

“...You’d really be willing to do that?”

“I did say I’d help you in any way I could—”

He doesn’t get to finish the sentence; Sora practically knocks him down with the strength he puts into his hug, slightly wet spikes pressing into his middle as he nuzzles his chest.

“What would I do without you, Rox?” he giggles happily, adoration clear as water in his voice. “I can’t wait to get my sleep schedule back.” 

“If you wanted to sleep together, you could’ve said so sooner,” Roxas mutters as he returns the hug, color rushing to his cheeks a second later when he realises how _wonderful_ that wording is. “I— I mean—”

“I know, and you’re right,” Sora agrees, blissfully unaware of the reasons behind his stuttering. “I guess I’m glad we came here after all!”

Right. Making a bed-sharing pact in the middle of a thunderstorm while they’re both feeling the cold in their bones is an ideal way to wrap up a Thursday afternoon, huh. 

Perhaps too belatedly, Roxas notices that Sora’s settling himself comfortably on his chest, arms awkwardly pushing up his waist. Is he— oh, no, no, that’s a terrible idea.

“Don’t you dare take a nap here,” he hisses. “Do you want to get severe hypothermia?”

“I’ve been to Arendelle with less clothing than this and I was fine.”

“Yes, and you also had Donald’s magic helping you,” Roxas insists.

“You’re such a worrywart, Roxas. It’ll be alright, really,” Sora reassures. “I’m with you… I know you’ll keep me safe.”

“Idiot,” Roxas grumbles, hoping that Sora can’t hear the erratic pulse of his heart. “You think that just because you say some corny lines I’m going to agree with you?”

“Aww, you won’t?”

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

“ _Fine._ Do whatever you want. Your stubborn ass can freeze for all I care.”

“You know you don’t mean that,” Sora leans into him with a giddy grin, and Roxas acknowledges to himself that, yeah, he doesn’t. 

“Go to sleep before I change my mind.”

“Your wish is my command,” Sora laughs weakly. “...You’ll be there to wake me up, right?”

“Of course,” Roxas promises, tone immediately turning softer. “Rest easy, Sora. I’m with you.”

“...Thanks.”

If Roxas ends up taking his hoodie off so the other can use it as blanket, and makes sure to cast a few Fire spells whenever he deems it convenient, well, Sora doesn’t need to know.

And they naturally fall into a habit after that.

Nothing changes much — they already spent basically the whole day together, even before Roxas offered to help him with his insomnia, so spending the night side by side feels pretty natural, too, ignoring the initial awkwardness of it all. There’s something incredibly relaxing about slipping under the bed covers with Sora, quietly talking about everything at once and nothing at all, observing how the boy’s eyes gradually fight to remain open, until he stops replying at all and Roxas can tell that sleep has taken him.

Some nights are rougher than others, and it’s all Roxas can do to hold the boy in his arms and hope that he’ll be able to drive the ghosts away. Sora doesn't talk much about the stuff he sees, and Roxas can't blame him — when he does, it's all terrifying stuff; crumbling worlds, being forced to become someone he's not, and watching all the people he cares for fade away while he can only stand and be a helpless witness. 

He never goes into specifics, and Roxas is partly grateful to him for that. With Organization XIII gone, he wouldn't have anyone to direct all the anger towards. Even if he can still vaguely guess all the details — he did use to be in Sora's mind — it's much better to not hear it from him directly.

Tonight seems to be a peaceful enough night. They're curled up against Sora's copious pillow supply, with Roxas hanging an arm around Sora's back as he mindlessly scrolls through his Instagram timeline, hoping that sleep will knock him off soon. 

Sora hasn't moved for a long time, so Roxas assumes that he's asleep already, and while he's not that comfortable in their current position, he won't change it for the risk of waking Sora up.

It seems that all of their friends are using summer for productive things. He sees one of Naminé's gorgeous sketches for an art concert, Kairi and Olette posing for a selfie in the outskirts of the beach, Riku pathetically attempting to strike a cool pose while Terra laughs at his pupil in the background (with how blurry the angle is, he doesn't doubt Hayner was the one to take the picture), Xion and Axel competing at the arcade—

Sora shifts further in his direction, head practically hiding in the crook of Roxas's neck, and Roxas can feel the growing cramp of his back. There's no way he'll survive the whole night like this, nevermind.

"Sorry, Sleeping Beauty," he rests his forehead against the other's, as if that somehow makes the apology more heartfelt. Sora's lips look so soft and inviting and Roxas, stop that. "I need to move—"

"Well, okayy…"

And Sora finally stops crushing his ribs. Roxas blinks.

"You were awake?"

"I never said 'goodnight', did I," Sora singsongs. "What, aren't you happy to see me?" he feigns hurt.

"Positively ecstatic," Roxas replies, poking his cheek. "I hope you've had your share of fun using me as a pillow. Have you ever thought of becoming a full-time cat?"

"I'm cool with being a human, thank you," Sora giggles stupidly loud at a joke that wasn't even funny. "Cat transformations are limited to trips to the Pride Lands."

"You don't need a transformation. You're already all dumb and cuddly."

As if to prove his own point, Roxas raises the arm that'd been pinning Sora down and takes his hand to the boy's face, tenderly caressing the tanned skin with a slow flick of the thumb. 

Sora leans into the touch, humming pleasedly. In hindsight, that wasn't such a smart thing to do, seeing how now his hand is the body part getting crushed. At least his argument stands solid and with proof.

"See," Roxas says, eyes creased with fondness. 

"Well, you've gotten a lot more affectionate lately too," Sora points out. 

"It's hard to not enjoy it when it's with you," Roxas has to give him that. Even if he didn't have a hopeless crush on Sora, he just gives really nice and warm hugs. He's sure it's a sentiment everyone can relate to. Hopes.

"Ooh, look, now you're the one getting all sappy. Did you pick that up from someone else as well?"

"Actually, yes. Remember that Isa is trying to learn German? Apparently, he got mad that it’s globally regarded as a harsh language, so he's made it his goal to learn all the cute expressions he can."

Sora's eyebrows rise in surprise. "But you said he likes insulting Lea…"

"Hey, they can go together."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Like…" Roxas struggles to find an easy example. " _Du bist ein Idiot. Ich hab' dich lieb._ "

"And that means…?"

"You're an idiot. I love ya'. More or less," Roxas scratches his neck. 

Saying these words to Sora make butterflies fly in his stomach, context be damned. He can't shake off how great it feels. He wants to say it again, over and over, until the boy can believe it and accept his own worth.

"Oh, thank you," Sora laughs, the tips of his ears red. "I'm flattered. German sounds really cool… It's a shame we only study French at Destiny Islands's school."

"I'm sure that Isa would be happy to teach you all he knows whenever you come over to Twilight Town."

"Hmm," Sora seems to think it over and shakes his head. "Nah, I like it when you do it. You pronounce it really well."

"You just think I do it well because you don't know the language, Sora," Roxas bops his nose with a light pout. "But if there's any other word you're curious about, you can ask me and I'll see what I can do."

"How do you say 'thank you'?"

"You've thanked me enough in Japanese," Roxas rolls his eyes. "I'm not teaching you that."

"That's because I'm really grateful to you, you know that," Sora sticks out his tongue. "For helping me deal with the bad stuff, and all the jazz."

"No need to mention it. Sometimes all people need is a good listener."

"I mean it, Rox. I… Didn't want to worry Riku or Kairi with this, after…" he trails off.

"I know," Roxas smiles. "I'm glad you opened up to me, though. Whenever you feel ready, we'll tell them too, alright?"

He suspects that they must know something's up with Sora. All their hearts are connected, wrapped together with forged ties and friendships, and it's not that hard for anyone to read Sora, anyhow.

The boy makes a little noncommittal grunt, causing Roxas to quirk an eyebrow up. 

"...Mm, I haven't opened up to you at all, not quite. There's still a little secret I haven't told you."

"Really? What is it?"

"You're supposed to be the smart one," Sora pouts. "Act like it."

Roxas frowns. "Give me a hint to work with. I'm not a mind reader." 

Only very vaguely.

"A hint, a hint…" Sora seems deep in thought. "I've got it. It has to do with hearts!"

"Something related to feelings, then…" Roxas mumbles. "That's too vague. Try harder than that, Sora."

He looks directly into Roxas's eyes, with that unmatchable courage of his that never fails to impress his Other. 

The dusky clouds that cover the moon's shine cause them to stare at each other in almost pure darkness, Roxas's phone having been set down some minutes ago in favour of the boy currently piercing him with his gaze.

Darkness, darkness. It's ironic how so many of their conversations throughout time have happened amidst darkness; Sora's the brightest light Roxas has ever seen.

"There's this person I really like," he starts. "Like… Like how Belle and Beast like each other. I'm happy to have their company and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world, but…"

"But you wish you could do a little more, rather than idly stand by their side. Don't you?" 

Sora nods and Roxas lets out a small chuckle. 

"How were you able to tell?"

"...I feel that way about someone," Roxas confesses. "I'd give anything for them to be happy."

"Anything?" Sora repeats. "...Wouldn't you be afraid?" 

"Nah. I've…" his voice cracks. "I've done it before. And they were willing to do the same for me."

"Roxas…" his tone carries a faint sense of recognition, as if he's slowly figuring things out; Sora's a lot more emotionally smart than people give him credit for.

"But the way they sacrifice themselves every time, for _anyone_ who needs it…" he pauses, inhaling sharply. "You've given up so much for everyone's sakes, Sora. I just — want you to understand that we want to save you, too. I want _you_ to be happy."

Roxas stares at everywhere except Sora's face when he gets that out. He traces the outline of soft spikes with his mind, fantasies of the stars twinkling in deep blue eyes and savours the taste of his imagination, knowing that that's all he should get.

He doesn't say anything else, and he doesn't need to; the truth hits Sora all at once. 

Roxas sees it in his everything — pupils widening, lips parting open in quiet shock, no sounds coming out at first.

"Roxas, do you…" Sora fights to find the proper words. "When you said you had feelings for someone…"

"Yeah… it's you."

No point in hiding it. He's admitting it as a formality, more than anything.

"I… I didn't know you felt that way about me. Aw, Roxas…"

He sounds guilty. Hurt. ...Upset? This isn't how Roxas pictured himself confessing. This isn't how things are supposed to go.

He just said that he wants Sora to look happy, too. Maybe he should've kept quiet after all.

"Sorry," he forces the word out past the lump on his throat. "This is awkward, huh? You don't have to—"

"I like you too!"

"—give me an answ…" Roxas stops on his tracks. "Wait. What?"

"Helloooo, Earth to Roxas. I said I like you too, silly."

Roxas falters, genuinely unable to produce any sound for a little while. It's as if his brain is Cid's slow computer software, trying to process several heavy commands all at once.

"You… _You do?_ "

That's... not how things are supposed to go, either. Is it?

"I thought I was being obvious enough! I even took you out on a date— not to mention I practically used any excuse to hug you..."

So that was a romantic date, and he'd been getting more touchy-feely on purpose. Alright.

"You do that with pretty much everyone, Sora," Roxas observes, not sure whether to laugh or cry. Maybe both.

"Well, fair enough. Still…"

"I feel so stupid right now," Roxas sighs, though there's a subtle smile on his face. 

"And you said I was the idiot a few minutes ago," Sora laughs at him.

"Oh, shut up."

Sora doesn't resist when Roxas tilts his head and links their lips together, effectively making their conversation come to a halt. 

Their kiss is short and sweet — and it makes Roxas happy in the same way Sora himself does. It's warm and peaceful, with an underlying hint of the sea salt ice cream that they both love, sweetness melting beneath their caring touch and salt adding a playful flavor to their skin.

Roxas runs his hand through chocolate bangs and pulls the boy close by the hips; these are all gestures that he's done before, and yet they feel so different now, with Sora doing his best to return them.

"...I think— this would be easier if we turn the lights on," Sora says when they break apart to catch their breath. "Less messy."

"Who the heck thinks about turning the lights on while they're kissing?"

"Me, obviously. And everyone who doesn't want to bump into someone's nose."

"...I guess they just make it work in Olette's movies, then," Roxas squints. It did make sense to have the lights on.

"Did you use movies as inspiration for this?" Sora stifles a chuckle. "Man, watch better titles for next time. You sucked."

"Like you were any better," Roxas huffs.

"Guilty as charged," Sora blushes lightly. "And… This is gonna be like, really anti-climatic, but… I'm sleepy now."

Roxas resists the urge to slam his head against the nearest pillow.

"I just confessed my undying love for you and you're thinking about sleep."

"Sorry," Sora at least attempts to look apologetic. Keyword being 'attempts'. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow, 'kay?"

"It's not like I have much of a choice here," Roxas shakes his shoulders, words lacking any real bite. It's hard to be mad when he's still feeling the serotonin rush and Sora's all cute and warm next to him. "The prince needs his beauty sleep."

"You're too good for me, Rox."

"I should be the one saying that," he says to himself. "C'mon, sleep."

"Okay… Hehe, I think I'll have a nice dream today."

"And if you don't, I'll be there for you," Roxas beams. "G'night, Sora."

"Night… Love you."

Roxas watches Sora's chest rise and fall, and thinks that this is what feels right, after all. Dreams or nightmares or not, he wants to be with Sora.

He grins sadly. That's selfish, isn't it?

Roxas knows that if this was a dream, he wouldn't want to wake up.

**Author's Note:**

> all was going well until the last line... haha. just pretend the implied angst isn't there :)  
> for real though, happy soroku day and week!!! as soon as i saw that the ship day was the 13th i knew i had to do something for them... and i decided to tie it a bit with today's theme of the week, love confessions~
> 
> i've mentioned it to other people and on my twitter before but i love the concept of sora having trouble with sleep/nightmares post-DDD so i wanted to give writing it a try, and i'm pretty happy with how this turned out! i didn't mean for it to get so long though but i couldn't control myself, i really adore writing these two.
> 
> find me on tumblr / twitter @managician  
> Thank you for reading!


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